Tube-bending device.



E. J. BUTLER.

TUBE BENDING DEVICE.

APPLIoATIoN FILED AUG. s. 190s.

Patented Mar. 30, 1909.

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E. J. BUTLER.

TUBE BENDING DEVICE. APPLIoATIoN FILED AUG. a. 190e.

91 6,530. Patented Mar. 30, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

abbr/nua l tatable forming dies UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD J. BUTLER, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO .'I. W. YORKAND SONS, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

TUBE-BENDING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Serial No. 447,586.

Application filed August 8, 1908.

head 2 is gibbed in ways 2u on the table 1 and is yieldingly movedtoward the shaft 3 the tension of which is main- To all 'whom it mayconcern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD J. BUTLER, l a citizen of the United Statesof America, rei by a spring 8, siding at Grand Rapids, in the county oftained through the links 8, the eye-bolts 14, Kent and State ofMichigan, have invented which are provided with adjusting nuts 14,certain new and useful Improvements in l and the brackets 13 which arefixed on the Tube-Bending Devices; and I do hereby detable 1. On thehead is fixed a screw threadclare the following to be a full, clear, anded bracket 11 to receive the screw 5, the end exact description of theinvention, suoli as of which screw engages the bearing 12, and willenable others skilled in the art to which l is adapted to move the head2 backward it appertains to inake and use the same. l against thetension of the spring S, a hand My invention relates to improvements inwheel 5a being provided for rotating said tube bending devices, and moreparticularly screw. Splined to the upper end of the to such devices asare adapted for bending shaft 3 is one of the forming dies which conthetubing used in the manufacture of brass l sists of the lower half 6 andthe upper half musical wind instruments; and its object is 6a. Thesehalves are caused to register in to provide a device in which such tubesmay their proper relation by the spline 16 and the be bent rapidly,uniformly and true; that pins 17. A gear 9 is fixed on the lower halllwill avoid buckling or wrinkling the tubes 6 of the die and is alsoengaged by the spline on the compressed or concave side of the 16. Aflange cap screw 3 is threaded in the curve; that will permit thebending of such uppei' end of the shaft 3 to hold the two tubes ineither true or irregular curves, and halves 6 and 6L of this forming dietogether in various other new and useful features.

when the device is in operation. hereinafter more fully described andpar- A stud 4 is fixed in the head 2, said stud ticularly pointed out inthe claims.

being parallel with the shaft 3 and spaced My device consistsessentially of two roapart therefrom. Upon this stud is mounted one ofwhich is prothe second forming die 7, on the under side vided with meansfor clamping one end of of which is fixed a gear 10, which when the thetube to be bent to the same, providing dies are in operative positionmeshes with means for holding the two dies in yielding the gear 9 of theother forming die and synengagement with the tube to be bent, andchroiiizes the peripheral relation of these providing means when a tubeis bent in dies when in the operation of bending a tube. more than ahalf circle lor removing the A flanged cap screw Ala is threaded in thebended tube without springing or unbending upper end of the stud 4 tohold the forming the saine, as will more fully appear by referdie 7 inhorizontal operative position; ence to the accompanying drawings, in Theoperation of my device is as follows: which:

After the tube to be bent is prepared in the Figure 1 is a plan view ofmy improved usual manner, it is secured to the extension bending device;Fig. 2 a vertical section 6b of the divided foiming die by the clamptaken on the line 2 2 of Fig-.1; Fig. 3 an end 1S. .The forming dies arebrought into enelevation of the saine; and Fig. 4. an enlarged gagementwith the tube and the gears 9 and detail Ain plan view of the twoforming dies 10 in mesh by the tension of the spring S illustrating themanner in which the tube as which is set sufficient to overcome theremade ready to commence the operation of sistance developed by thebending of the bending is held in the machine (the arrows tube. Theforming dies are then rotated in indicatin the direction of rotation ofthe the direction indicated by the arrows (Fig. forming ies). l) untilthe required amount of curvature Like characters refer to like parts inall of is obtained. the figures. In many of these bending operations the1 is a table integral with which is a bearing tube is required to bebent more than a half 1' in which is journaled a shaft 3, which circle,which would make it impossible to shaft is also journaled at its lowei'end in an remove the bended work from the die around auxiliary bearing12 and provided with a which it is bent without springing or ungeai 15through which motion is imparted to bending it suflicient to pass itover the largest said shaft 3. A horizontally adjustable diameter of thegroove of the die. To avoid this necessity, I have divided the formingdie around which the tube is bent in the plane of the axis of itsgroove, and after the tube is bent to the required degree, l draw thehead which carries the forming die '7 away form the work by means of thescrew 5, remove the clamp 18, then the flanged cap screw 3a, and thenthe upper half 6a of the forming die is removed and the work fullyreleased. The peripheral conformation of these forming dies, and thecross section conformation of their grooves may be varied to meet therequirements of any particular shape of tube to be bent, thus developingany required form of curve or angle desired.

By my improved, device l ani able to bend tubing from the lightest tothe heaviest into any required form Without buckling the concave sideand at a great saving of time and expense. am able to bend a tubecomplete from the time of putting the work into the device to removingit and preparing the device for the reception of another' tube in two tothree minutes, while to bend a like tube by hand as now done, wouldrequire from three to four hours. Another advantage that l gain is aperfect uniformity of work.

ifi/*hat I claim is:

l. ln a device of the class described, the combination of two rotatableforming dies having grooves in their edges, means for synchronizing thelperipheral relation of the dies, means for detachably securing one endof the tube to be bent to one of said dies, a spring for yieldinglyholding the dies in contact with the tube, means for imparting a rotarymotion to said dies, and means for overcoming the tension of the springto separate the dies.

2. n a device of the class described, the combination of two rotatableforming dies having grooves in their edges one of said dies beingdivided in the lane of the axis of its groove the peripheralp relationof which dies is maintained by gears, means for detachably securing oneend of the tube to be bent to one of said dies, a spring for yieldinglyholding said dies in contact with said tube and the gears in mesh.,means for imparting a rotary motion to said dies, and a screw toovercome the tension of the spring and separate the dies.

3. In a device of the class described, the

combination of two rotatable formin dies having grooves in their edges,one o said dies being mounted on a driving shaft, a head adapted to bemoved toward and from the first named die, on which head the other dieis mounted, gears to synchronize the peripheral relation of said dies, aspring engaging the head to hold said dies in peripheral contact andsaid gears to mesh, a screw to move the head away from the shaft, aclamp to detachably secure one end of the tube to be bent to one of saiddies, and means for rotating the said dies.

Li. In a device of the class described, a table on which a rotatable diehaving a groove in its edge is j ournaled, a head adapted to traverse inthe table in ways therein, a second rotatable die having a groove in itsedge and journaled on said head, a spring attached to the head to movesaid second die into engagement with the tube to be bent,

gears on said dies which mesh to synchronizethe peripheral relation ofthe same, an eXtension on one of said dies, a clamp to secure the tubeto be bent to said extension, means for imparting a rotary motion tosaid dies, and a screw to move said head against the tension of thespring.

5. in a tube bending machine, a driving shaft, a rotary die fixed on theshaft, a head movable toward and away from the shaft, a second rotarydie journaled on the head, an oppositely projecting spring carried bythe head, tensioning bolts attached to the respective ends of the springand slidable in fixed brackets, nuts on the bolts, and a screw connectedto the head to move the same to separaterthe dies.

6. In a binding machine, a table, a driving shaft journaled in thetable, a head movable toward and from the shaft, rotary diesrespectively on the shaft and head, gears conL necting the dies, aspring carried by the head, and opposi'tely projecting therefrom,tensioning bolts attached to the spring, brackets attached to the tablein which the bolts are inserted, and a screw mounted in the head to iovethe same away from the shaft.

in testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDVARD J. BUTLER. lVitnesses GEORGIANA CHACE, MINNIE JoHNsoN.

